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(The Tennessean 5-1-2011) Last fall’s elections changed a lot more than how House lawmakers approach issues such as federal spending and the deficit. Take coal ash, for example. Democrats no longer set the agenda, as they did in 2008 when a massive coal ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s coal-fired plant in Kingston led to calls for the Environmental Protection Agency to designate coal ash as a hazardous waste and tighten oversight of ash storage sites.

(The Engineer 4-20-2011) An energy generation scheme that makes use of domestic, plant and industrial waste could help to give new life to former landfill sites. The plan involves covering sites with fly ash from coal power plants to stop landfill gas leaking into the atmosphere and instead using it to turn garden waste into a nutrient-rich soil component called biochar.

(Waste Business Journal 4-18-2011) The EPA said it plans to give stakeholders the opportunity to comment on its data and analysis of how to regulate the disposal of coal combustion residue (CCR) amid criticisms from both environmentalists and industry that the initial proposal did not adequately assess its risk and economic impacts.

(Daily Caller 4-16-2011) The Obama administration has repeatedly said job creation is a top priority, but apparently the memo seems to have missed the bureaucrats at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).This became evident when EPA Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus testified Thursday before an Environment and Energy subcommittee hearing that his agency does not take jobs into account when it issues new regulations.

(State Column 4-7-2011) Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) introduced today a bill that would block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from classifying coal ash as a “hazardous waste” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The current EPA proposal contradicts past findings, where it determined that coal ash does not warrant regulation as a hazardous waste and any designation would lead to $16.7 billion in increased costs per year.

(Discovery News 3-30-2011) Concrete, the material making up tons of America's infrastructure, from bridges to roadways, unfortunately tends to crumble. But a new coating that is hundreds of times more durable than existing concrete shields could save the day -- and it's made from "flyash," the soot and dust waste that spews out of more than 450 coal burning plants in the United States every day.

(UPI 3-29-2011) Fly ash, a byproduct of coal-burning electric power plants, could save billions of dollars if used in the repairing of U.S. bridges and roads, researchers say.

Using fly ash to coat the concrete used to rebuild America's crumbling infrastructure could extend the life of those roads and bridges by decades, saving billions of dollars of taxpayer money, scientists told a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday.

(ECO Composites 3-27-2011) Composite metal foams that can replace solid aluminum and magnesium have the potential to keep millions of tons of toxic waste out of landfills while improving performance and lowering the cost of some automotive and consumer products.

US researchers have reported the results of experiments designed to utilize fly ash – a by-product of coal combustion – as an additive to create the lightweight composites.